West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-07-29

well. / first met Mr.. Read at the
headquarters of General Rosecrans,
Just before the battle of Stone River.
He was guest of the General, and
remained in camp quite while, so
that we all got to know him."
''Doyou know how he came to write
the poem?
YES" said the General, II have
heard him tell about it several times.
There have been a number of stories
published about the origin of the
poem, but / will tell you the true one,
Just as Mr.. Read told it to me. Do
you know that James K. Murdoch
suggested the idea?"
"Murdoch, the elocutionist?"
"The very man. He was an actor
at one of the Cincinnati theatres at
the time. where / had known him.
Murdoch has always been great
friend of mine, and l am glad to
know the old man keeps so well. l
see that he was able to appear at the
memorial services in honor of Chief
Justice Chase the other day. He
lost son at the battle of Missionary
Ridge-Murdoch did-the boy was
in my command, and the old man
came down to get the body, don't
you know? The enemy occupied the
place where the boy was buried, and
Mr.. Murdoch remained a guest at
my headquarters until we recovered
the ground. He used to ride the
lines with me every day, and always
used my black horse 'RienZi'-the
one that was afterward called Win
CHESTER and the same that was under
me on that twenty-mile canter. No
man ever straddEed better animal,
and old Murdoch became very fond
of him. He was q horse that it was
an honor to mount, you see, and in
that poem Read gave him good
send-off.
"Well, things were very exciting
down around Chattanooga those
DAYS, and Mr.. Murdoch saw q good
deal of war; On Sundays he always
used to recite poems to the troops
around headquarters, and there was
one of Browning's that the boys new
er missed Il chance to call for. 1t
was a great favorite with me, don't
YOU know, just rs it was with the
soldiers, and we never let the old
man off without reading it, 1t was
the story of the ride from Client to
Aix-you remember it?
swell you see after the battle of
Cedar Creek, there was published in
HdIper'S Weekly a story of my ride
from Winchester, and Il picture of
me on the back OF old Rienzi Muir
doch had agreed to recite poem at
the Sanitary fair that was being held
at Cincinnati at that time, and Read
had promised to write something
new and appropriate for him. But
when Murdoch called on him for the
manuscript the afternoon he was to
recite. he hadn't touched 4 pen to
paper-said he didn't know what TO
write about. Well, Murdoch had
lust seen a man who was in the bat
tie, and was full of the story, being
friend Of mine, you see; so he pull
ed the copy of Horper's Weekly from
his pocket, and repeated to Read all
the officer had told him. Read
jumped up, locked himself in his
room. wrote the poem of-hand. in an
hour, got his wife to make 4 copy,
and had it over to Murdoch's before
dark. The latter was delighted
with it, and read it at the Sanitary
fair that night"
"Where did you first see it?'
The first | ever saw of it was in
the newspapers. One of my officers
brought it to my tent one morning
in the camp downin the Shenandoah
Valley"
at is said that you have the orig
inal manuscript"
II wish / had, but l have never
seen it. l don't suppose it is in eX-
istence. As l understand it was
originally written in pencil, and
Mrs. Read copied it for Murdoch" "
"How did Read come to paint the
picture of Sheridan's Ride?"
"Well, the poem made great SEN
sation, you know, and Read, being Il
painter as well as poet, got Il com
mission from the Union League club
of Philadelphia for the picture.
They sent him down to New Orleans,
where l was stationed. and sat for
him there. He was going to Rome
that fall and did not finish, but
made some sketches, and then COM
pleted the picture in Italy. l never
had Il copy of the picture, but he af-
terward gave me the sketches, which
l still have at my house"
WHO were with you on that ride?'
SANDY Forsythe who is down in
New Mexico with the Fourth Caval-
ry now, and Col. O'Keete The lat
ter was killed at the battle Of Five
Forks"